Holly
by Trineum
Summary: When Yvaine landed in Stormhold all eyes were set on her. Because of this a second star crashed unnoticed into another part of the magic land. What will happen to the confused star when the first person she bumps into is the feared prince Septimus?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This story has been edited so those of you who have read some of the chapters, please re-read them to get an idea of what kind of person Holly is.

Ï do not own Septimus or Stardust. The only character I own is Holly. All rights to their rightful owners.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

In the middle of a forest in a beautiful land called Stormhold there could be found a miracle which had descended from the sky. This miracle was a woman called Yvaine. To her fortunate destiny she had stumbled upon a boy named Tristan which in another strange, and also fortunate event he had taken her as his prisoner. Poor Yvaine, which had to be dragged all the way to London only to be given as a gift to the so called girl of Tristans dreams did not truly know how lucky she was, for there were other dangers much greater than the young boy by her side that was searching for her. However, this story is not only about Yvaine and Tristan. This is a story of a highly unusual and strange love that would be found on the most darkest of places.

"Krrra!"..."Krrraaa!"...

Beneath the noisy crow sitting joyfully on a branch there could be seen a silent figure laying on the ground murmuring something about it being too noisy this time of the day. The crow spotted the young woman and kept a watchful eye on her as she slowly awakened. it took her a while to realize where she was. She gazed at her surroundings first with major confusion, but as it slowly dawned on her that she was not where she was supposed to be she let out a horrific scream which scared the allready aware crow away. Struck by panic she stood and watched the light blue sky above her with terror in her eyes, "What is this supposed to mean?!" she screamed at the empty sky like a crazy woman. "Why am I here?! Hey! I don't belong here! Take me back!" Her frustrated cries was left unanswered and she furiously stomped her food on the soft ground and soon after she fell like a sack of potatoes onto her behind. Her long, brown hair fell over her face and hid the tears who started falling from her hazel colored eyes.

Her cries lasted for a long time before she stood back up and started shouting again, "Stars don't belong on earth! At least I don't! Please, can anyone switch places with me? Please!" Her pleads were yet again left unanswered and after a while of more shouting she gave up, knowing there was nothing her sisters could do about it now that the deed was done. Holly was probably one of the only stars in the sky which would nothing more, but to stay where she had always been. For millions of years she had heard her sisters whisper about how much they wanted to descend to earth because of the beauty of love, but she had not been affected about it the way they had been. She was content on staying above it all, just gazing, listening and looking. Maybe she had just looked the wrong way?

Feeling her anger boost in her again she yelled, "This isn't happening to me! A star on earth brings nothing but trouble!" before she stomped her foot in the ground a second time. She decided from that point on that she would do all in her power to restrain from her destiny, which was unwillingly given to her by destiny. Holly was not always like this. She was actually a very kind and caring soul, but this situation had brought out the worst in her. The ONE thing she wanted the least was brought upon her and she could not accept that. No. She was going to be a straight-up rebel about it and just sit there and do nothing.

As if destiny hadn't caused her enough distress she soon found out that her purpose on earth was soon to appear in front of her, "Take her!" A harsh voice yelled out of nowhere and Holly hurriedly turned around only to see a black dressed guard charging at her. Seeing as this was her first day on earth she did not have any means of how she should be protecting herself from this assault, which of course ended in her being slammed against the tree she moments ago had been sleeping under. She was completely struck by confusion and ended up not uttering any sound during this surprising ordeal.

"Bring her to me." the same voice that had spoken earlier spoke again. The man pinning her to the tree rapidly turned her around so that they could walk over to the man speaking which she guessed was the leader. Before her stood a beautiful, black horse with a man sitting on top of it. The instant her eyes met the source of the voice she could imediately see that this man possessed a heart so dark it sent shivvers down her spine. Having watched people on earth for millions of years she pretty much had perfected the art of reading people just by looking at them. This man would without a doubt give her nothing but trouble.

"What are you doing out here in the middle of the forest?" the leader asked. Holly was unsure how to answer this seeing as if she revealed her true story she would be slayed down within seconds. And truth be told she was not so sure why she was in the forest herself. She kept quiet, but could see that he already was beginning to lose his temper. His jaw clenched and he asked again, "What is your business here?"

Again she did not answer him and the guard who had caught her coughed to catch the leaders attention. "Your Highness. Before we took her I could hear her talking about a star on earth." Holly flinched at his words and immediately tensed up. Did he understand that the star she was talking about was herself?

Prince Septimus turned back to look at her with such cold eyes she was sure he knew the truth. "A star you say? How do you know about this star if I may ask?"

Holly swallowed hard and was immensely grateful that he hadn't understood it after all. "What star?" she carefully asked.

"Are you trying to test my patience?" Septimus replied with a dangerously calm voice. Holly knew she was in deep water when the prince ended up jumping down from his horse only to walk over to her. "I assure you I am not so easily fooled, my dear. You are clearly playing stupid." he towered over her only to set his example that he was not afraid to be challenged, though that was not her intention in the least. He tried again, "Who are you?"

Not wanting to push her faith she answered a careful, "Holly." Having him this close made Holly realize how much more intimidating he was than she had thought. He looked like a man who could kill and have a good time doing it.

"Good. Now, Holly, what do you know about this star?" his eyes bored into hers so much she actually thought she felt a sting of pain in her own. Slowly she tried to create some distance between them, but to no success. He grabbed her arm and dragged her back to him. Startled, Holly looked at him with a frightened look on her face. This man was clearly not messing around.

"I don't know anything about any star. I am telling the truth." truthfully she had no idea what star he was talking about. Wasn't she the only star who had descended to earth?

However her answer was not at all pleasing to the dark prince and before she knew it she had been slapped right accross the face. In shock she hurriedly turned back to him with a terrified and hurt look written all over her face. She hastily took one step away from him, but he followed her with a bigger one making him stand only inches away from her.

Now with a higher and angrier tone he asked again, "What-do-you-know-about-the-star?" he paused between each word to make sure this stupid girl understood the question perfectly.

Holly was in a crossroad. If she told him again that she did not know he would most likely kill her. If she lied to him and he later found out that she was not being honest he would also kill her. No matter how she answered her faith would still be the same. Though the lying part would without a doubt give her more time to escape this madness. On the other hand if she gave him some information he knew was incorrect she would also suffer the consequences. Maybe she could give him some shallow information. Some information everyone knew about?

Carefully she pointed up to the sky, "I saw it. Going in that direction." she pointed towards the forest behind her hoping she was showing the way they were already following. However the second she did it she felt a sting in her concience. If they were following a star that meant she was pointing right to its direction?

The dark prince's eyes narrowed and he turned around and started dragging her towards the other men. "We have a new mission! Not only are we going to find the necklace, but also the star!"

Horrified of what would happen next, Holly decided to think fast and shook her arm out of his iron grip and hurriedly turned around to run away from the group. Unfortunately only seconds later the prince had caught up with her with a few big steps and yet again grabbed her arm. This time Holly flinched by the strenght in his grip. He was intentionally trying to hurt her this time. In one violent move he made her swirl around to face him. She stumbled on her own feet in the process and ended up falling to her knees. The black haired man stood towering over her with a clenched jaw and a vein forming on his forehead.

"Bad move." he snarled. Shaking like a leaf, Holly could not do anything but stare in horror at the dark prince. It was like staring right into the eyes of the angel of death. This must have been her last seconds alive. She was convinced of it.

The brunette gave out a sorrowful whimper. If she was killed now she would never be able to return to her sister stars up in the heavens. As he raised his free hand and gripped her around the neck making her stand back up Holly couldn't help but find the whole situation hillarious. Her first and last day on earth would end before it even had the chance to begin. Peace roamed the sky where she came from, but here on earth she would die the second she arrived. She clawed and kicked at him, but to no use. He was steady as a rock. He tightened his grip and Holly felt the life leave her body.

Before everything went dark Holly looked up to the sky one last time.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I know Septimus in the movie is standing alone on the beach waiting for the soothsayer, but I changed it into some guards staying there with him as well as the horses.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

Holly woke to a violent earthquake. In the midst of confusion while her eyes adjusted she started wriggling like a snake thinking she had to find shelter only to find that she was tied together on hands and feet. It did not help that a furious voice shouted at her to keep still. When she had gained control of her dazed mind she found out that it wasn't an earthquake at all, but in fact a horse she was hanging over! Stunned and taken aback she searched for the man who had told her to stop moving and to a not so big surprise it was the prince who earlier strangled her till she fainted. He was keeping her in front of him while he was handling his horse to keep a good eye on her so she wouldn't try anything.

Finally grasping the situation she was in she started wondering why she was not killed by him, but also who this other star was. Had they arrived at the same time to earth? Was she okay? Holly gave out a silent grunt. The other star was probably in a better situation that herself. Her neck was sore and her breath was rough and it hurt slightly to breathe. By the looks of it this man was a merciless devil. Nearly killing an innocent sta... woman was crossing the line!

She turned and looked at the dark prince once more deciding whether she would dare to ask him if she could sit up. This position was extremely uncomfortable, but she figured that her wellbeing was the last thing on his mind so she dismissed the thought right away. "Excuse me." she had to raise her voice over the thundering hooves of the riding group. The prince turned and gave her a little surprised look, but it immediately vanished and was replaced by the same cold eyes he had given her when they first met.

"What?" he asked, but she could see that he was really not interested in hearing what she had to say.

"What do you want from me?" the brown haired woman hurriedly asked. Like saying it faster would lessen the risk of pissing him off. She looked at him with a questioning look, which turned into a slight fear when he gave her a sly grin.

"I know you have more information about the star than you care to admit. I have only just started with you." he smirked at her a moment longer before he turned to focus on the path again.

Holly slowly turned away while the blood drained from her face. She started cursing her blasted luck while she in frustration started flickering with the rope around her hands to try and distract herself from being overwhelmed with fear. Nothing would go her way today!

A moment later they arrived at the beach. Septimus jumped off his horse and quietly watched the sea in front of him. With a calm voice he spoke to one of his guards, "get me the soothsayer." the guard nodded and hurried off back to the castle.

In the meanwhile Holly was curiously looking at the broad back of the prince. Was he angry? Had something not gone exactly as planned? After all that had happened this pleased her a great deal. Seeing him lost and frustrated was extremely satisfying.

In a sudden realization panic filled her and she immediately tensed. She was moving, but there was no one within range. She carefully looked up and noticed that she was slowly, but steadily sliding off the horse. With a small whimper she tried to snake herself back in the steady position she had been in, but her wiggling only made the matter worse. Her tied up hands and feet were of no assistance at all. Unable to hold back the fearful tone in her voice she shouted, "A-anyone, help!" unfortunately it was too late. And by the time the prince and the guards turned around Holly was flipping over and dashed into the sand, back first. The impact slammed the air out of her lungs and sand went flying all over her. The horse who, thanks to Septimus had experienced it's fair amount of surprises in its lifetime didn't even budge. She slowly turned on her side to cough the sand out of her mouth when a sudden uproar of laughter started ringing in her ears. Surprised she turned to see the guards laughing whole-heartedly at her. She blushed a bright shade of red and turned to look at the prince. He was not laughing, but a smile was playing on his lips. She wanted to be angry at them, but even if one of them intended to help her she was asking too late.

The laughter slowly decreased and to her surprise one of the guards came to her aid, only to be stopped by the familiar unfriendly voice, "Leave her." she looked at Septimus turning back to the sea, but she caught a glimpse of the satisfied smirk he had smeared on that arrogant face of his. He was in no way trying to hide it. He wanted her to see how much he enjoyed tormenting her.

_What a disgusting jerk! There is absolutely no flicker of good in him!,_ Holly thought to herself. He was set on making her regret not telling him what she knew about the star, but she didn't know anything! She gave herself a mental warning not to lie again. Lying only gave her trouble like this. If she hadn't pointed in a random direction this wouldn't have happened in the first place. Maybe he eventually would have seen she didn't have any valuable information if she just kept honnest. That was Holly's problem. She was very naive for a star who had seen the bad side of earth.

A while later the old soothsayer came to the beach. The prince conversed with him for a moment and Holly could see by his actions that he was up to no good. The old man started throwing runes in the air while answering yes and no to the princes questions. In an instant the atmosphere changed when Septimus asked the question, "Do you work for my brother?"

When the runes hit the ice cube between the two men Septimus quickly dug a dagger into the old mans chest. Holly held back a choked scream as she watched the soothkeeper fall lifeless to the ground. Septimus had just killed someone like it was the easiest thing in the world! In one day he had slapped a woman AND killed an old man. She did not think that her contempt for a single person could grow so strongly in such a short time. This person was truly disgusting on the inside.

"So, do we continue west?" the prince suddenly asked and threw the runes in the air. As soon as they landed he gave new orders to his men.

Soon after he walked over to Holly who was still sitting in the sand and grabbed her by the arm to lift her onto the horse again. The brunette however was not planning on staying another second with this beast. She furiously ripped her arm out of his grip and turned away from him while she sneered, "Do not touch me!" Where she found the courage to utter those words was a mystery to her. She was rarely the one to burst out like this. On the other hand, this was no ordinary situation.

Septimus who was already in no mood to play around tightly clenched his jaw and violently grabbed her arm again making her flinch in pain. He got so close to her that she could feel his warm breath on her face. He slowly took forth the same dagger he had used to kill the old man and let the blade run down her jawbone. "Oh do tell me, miss Holly. If you so strongly wish to die I will gladly grant you your wish. However if you obediently do as I say you have for the time being nothing to fear. So, what is it going to be?"

Knowing when it was best to keep quiet she gulped and reluctantly answered, "I will behave." but she knew she was lying. As soon as she found another opening she would try to escape again. Thinking about it he must have been lying as well. Killing her would be of no benefit to him seeing as he thought she knew more about the star, but that was too big of a risk for her to take. When the night would come she was determined she would escape from this beast. Her flickering with the ropes had already loosened them just a tiny bit.

Looking at her a bit longer Septimus slowly moved the dagger away from her face. He then rose and grabbed her around her waist making her yelp. In one big movement he swung her back over the horse. Horrified she had to lay in that terrible position again she immediately protested, "Sep...your Highness I told you I will behave, please let me sit up!" Ignoring her the prince climbed up on the same horse and grabbed the reins. Again she tried, "I promise I will not come in the way of your riding. I will be silent as a mouse!"

This time Septimus looked at her and arrogantly replied, "First of all, _Holly_, You are already in my way, and second, I am in no mood to care about your wellbeing so if you don't like your current position I see no problem as to let you be dragged behind by my horse in stead."

Clenching her teeth tight together Holly held her tongue again, but she silently swore he would pay for this inhumanity!

Late at night Septimus decided it was time to rest abit before they continued their search. They lit a fire and everyone except one guard went to sleep. This gave Holly time to work on her plan to escape. She had been wriggling her hands for several hours and her struggle had finally payed off. The ropes were loose enough for her to slip one hand out. Now she just had to wait for everyone to fall asleep. Though the one watch guard would be a problem. And of course the ropes around her waist that was connecting her to a tree, but as long as her hands were free, that was most important.

While she was waiting she realized that her stay on earth had given her more of an idea of what kind of person she was. And to her disappointment she got to the conclusion that she was a weak coward. Not only had she been lying to save her skin, but she had tried to give the dark prince directions to the other star. She tightly closed her eyes shut to try and get rid of the guilt, but it was impossible. Being human sure wasn't easy. Right now she just had to get away from these monsters before she could think of what she could do next. Staying like this would do no one good.

About an hour passed and all the guards and the prince were soundly asleep. Holly kept a watchful eye on the guard that was keeping a look out so that she would be able to find a loop hole. The ropes around her waist were not too tightly knitted so she could slip out of them when she had untied the ropes around her feet. The guard was sitting on a rock on the other side of the fire not far from the group. Holly closed her eyes when he looked at her and pretended she was about to fall asleep. She bent her feet up so that she could rest her head on her knees. This also gave her an opportunity to sneak her hands down to her feet and untie the ropes.

After another hour passing the guard stood up and headed for the forest. He was probably going to release a certain urge. That was the moment Holly had been waiting for. The second he was out of sight she rushed to untie the ropes around her feet. Lucky for her the ropes around her waist were poorly tied and she wriggled free from her prison within seconds.

She dashed through the dark , eerie forest using only her hands to guide her. Her naked feet felt the moist ground beneath her and the air was cool and windy. but that didn't bother her. Her only focus was getting away from that tyrant. She stumbled and crashed into trees, but did not take a break in fear that they would soon notice her disappearance. The guard would probably notice the second he came back.

After running for quite some time she stopped out on an open field where she caught a glimpse of the glimmering lights up on the sky. "Sisters! Please answer me! Who is the other star? Is she close by?" Breathless, Holly patiently waited for answers and to her surprise her sisters replied.

"Yvaine," Was all they said. Holly gave out a sharp gasp. Up in the sky Yvaine and Holly were quite close to each other, but Hollys light was much weaker than Yvaines and therefore it was much harder to spot her. Maybe that was why no one had noticed her arrive to earth. The sisters had practically looked like one star before Holly changed course and landed somewhere else. Holly searched the sky for Yvaines light, but it was true. She was gone from the sky! In that moment something changed in Holly. She was going to find her sister and they would both go back to the sky together. That was her goal and she promised she would keep it, not matter how scared she would be and no matter how hard it would be she would find Yvaine. She just silently prayed that her nerves would handle it. After all, the coward in her would not dissapear so easily.

For a moment longer the brunette was caught up in her own thoughts before the familiar furious voice shouted from the forest she only moments ago had come from, "Over there!" She turned to spot some of the guards dashing towards her on their horses and hurriedly swung around to run from them. Sadly, only short time after they had caught up with her and was circling around her victoriously. Breathlessly she looked at each and every one of the guards in fright.

"I am of no use to you! What is the meaning of this? I know nothing about a star!" Holly couldn't stop her voice from trembling. Even so she had decided to stick by her goal. She would be brave for Yvaine! The prince suddenly appeared beside his men forming the circle and looked at her with that familiar cold expression, but she spotted a change. Something was wrong.

"Take her." Septimus growled. One of the guards jumped down from his horse and came towards her holding a rope in his hands. Horrified Holly walked backwards and continued shouting.

"What do you want from me? Leave me alone you monster!"

"Do not test my patience, WITCH!" Septimus practically spat out the last word and looked at her in pure disgust. Holly turned to look at him in disbelief. Was this a joke? Where had he gotten such a ridiculous idea from?

"I am not a witch! Who told you such a lie?"

"It is not a lie. I saw her!" Holly turned around to spot the guard who had been keeping a look-out before she fled. "The ropes just fell off her! And in the blink of an eye she had disappeared!" She knew he was too scared to tell the prince the truth. Probably because of what Holly had heard and seen when they were at the beach. The prince held no mercy for anyone who betrayed him. If he knew the truth the guard would have been killed in an instant, no doubt about it. Still, now he had gotten her in danger because of it.

Before Holly could speak again the guard who had tied her hands forcefully dragged her towards Septimus. Seeing the looks upon every ones faces she shivered. There was no mercy for a witch in this world and she knew it. She struggled as best as she could the short distance she was being dragged, but the guard held her with the greatest ease. She had no chance against these men, but she was not ready to give up just yet. She had to find Yvaine and help her!

"Now that I know who you are I assume that your mission is also to track up the star. No witch would leave such a treat behind." surprised, Holly looked up at the prince who was towering over her on his horse. He knew she was searching for the star, but not why. However her reaction made Septimus think that he hit a nerve and grinned victoriously. "Too bad you will never see the day where you will find it."

Holly let out a terrified scream when one of the guards grabbed her hair backwards to make her neck visible. Holly started struggling, knowing that he was going to cut off her head if he got the opportunity. She swirled around and started kicking and screaming like a wild animal. Her nails managed to scratch into his cheek leaving two deep gashes and he let her go screaming in pain. Unfortunately Holly didn't get too far when two other guards grabbed a hold of her arms and forced her on her knees. A third one came from behind and grabbed her hair and tossed her head backwards again. She noticed the blade he was holding with his other hand and gasped. With fear boiling from the core of her soul she hurriedly thought of a way to escape this madness. She was going to fight with all the little bravery she had to save Yvaine. If Septimus got to the star she would never forgive herself.

The dark haired prince looked at her in pure disgust while he uttered the fatal words, "Kill her."

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><p><strong><span>AN: **Please share with me what you think of this story so far. Even something as small as "bad" or "good" will be greatly appreciated! If you find any spelling errors or anything else I would be grateful if you told me about them. Thank you!


	3. Chapter 3

**ATTENTION! A/N**: I am so sorry for the LONG time it took me to complete chapter 3. Actually I have edited all chapters 1,2 and 3 because I ended up being stuck and not knowing how to proceed with the story. I HIGHLY recomment that you read the 2 first chapters again to get to know Holly again. Also I have made a few things here and there more waterproof than the first try.

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

"WAIT!" Holly screamed from the top of her lungs as the sword touched her neck. Her heart was racing so fast she was sure they must have heard it.

The guard who held the sword stopped and looked questioningly up at Septimus wondering if he should continue with the execution or not. The prince glared at her for what seemed like an eternity. He was probably debating wether he should let her talk or just get it over with. He suddenly spoke, "Why should you get the liberty of keeping your life, witch? Why would you possibly think that I would grant you mercy?"

"If I was a witch why haven't I used my magic on you yet?" Holly felt she raised a good point. And the prince was clearly thinking it over.

"That is easy. Because you are still young. You haven't mastered the art of spells yet." he yet again raised his hand to order the guard to proceed with the execution.

Holly swallowed hard and tried to calm her frightened body so she wouldn't give herself away too much. "I have something. Something that will make your wildest dreams come true. Something only a witch can give you." the brunette felt ashamed that she had to lie again, but given the circumstances she really felt she didn't have any other choice. Also she was surprised at how easy it was to lie when her life depended on it.

the dark prince eyed her for a moment in silence before he asked, "... And what may that be?"

"A potion called Storm Soul. It grants the drinker eternal life!"

"A potion that grants eternal life?" Septimus sounded sceptical about it.

"Only a witch can grant you such a gift." Holly carefully created a waterproof story for this major lie. She just prayed he didn't see through her bluff.

"Oh, do let me in on this _Storm Soul_, dear Holly. And please tell me why I have never heard of this potion untill now." he was clearly making a mockery of her by now.

"You... you have never heard of this potion because it is stricktly against a witches code to speak of it. Heavens forbid if a witch heard me telling you this I would be cursed for all eternity with the worst curse you can only imagine." Holly realized by now she was on deep water. But she had no other choice. It was either this lie or death. "The berries found to create this potion is found on one single bush in this forest, but the berries are surrounded by long, highly poinsonous thornes that kills you an instant if you are stung." By now it was extremely hard for the brunette to keep a straight face. She had always been a terrible liar, but she kept herself cool the best she could.

To her surprise the prince seemed to think about what she had just told him. "I have never seen an imortal witch that don't need the power of a stars heart."

"That is because the bush can take one important thing away from you. Your life. No witch dare take the chance because too many have tried and failed." Septimus looked sceptical again so Holly hurriedly spoke again, "I have seen the bush." This apparently made the prince more interessted.

Septimus was silent for a few minutes, "Then you will guide me to this bush and you will make me that potion. For that I will spare your pathetic life."

"I can find the berries for you," Holly was in panic by now. This was going way too far, but she couldn't back down now, "but the brewing will take 6 months for it to be drinkable. If you drink it before the time you will die."

"Then it is settled." the dark prince raised his hand for everyone to listen, "We will go look for the star first and if that fails you will make that potion for me." Septimus waved the 3 guards away from her and ordered another guard to tie her hands and feet together.

The brunette was confused. Did she win? Her lie without a doubt worked, but wasn't everything back to normal except for the part that she would have to brew this fantasy potion? No, there was a difference, she was still alive. This had hopefully given her a week or two to change his plans and to save Yvaine.

She was yet again thrown over the huge horse in that extremely uncomfortable possition. This time however she would not accept it, "If you want that potion you should treat me better than this! I am no raggdoll, but a human being!"

A dark laughter could be heard from the prince who sat on the same horse, "I was not aware that giving me information about this Storm Soul potion gave you some sort of authority over me, (Holly)." the prince's voice was so dangerously calm that she went pale. She imediately regretted speaking those cocky words, but now it was too late. A guard came and lifted her off the horse and onto the ground. Confused, Holly looked at the prince.

"Since you haven't seemed to like your previous treatment I will provide you with a slightly different one." Septimus gave her a cruel smirk and turned his horse around. The guard proceeded to tie the rope which was forcing her hands together behind the saddle on the prince's horse.

When it dawned on Holly that the prince was planning on letting her walk she started struggling again. She kicked and protested and in the midst of panick she ended up hitting the guard who was tieing her up on the knee. The unnatural force bending his knee in the opposite direction made the guard scream in pain and he released her. The rope fell to the ground and the brunette was ready to flee, but in a flash the prince had jumped down from his horse and grabbed her by her hair making them face each other. She winced and closed her eyes in an attempt to shut out the pain his hand was inflicting her. His face was so close she could feel his breath on her own. She could not help but shiver from having this beast so close. She knew he would react, but not this strongly. However done was done and she learned not to try that again. She conforted herself that no matter what happened he would not kill her, because she was the only one who knew where the "bush" was.

"Well aren't you a slippery one. Always trying to escape." Septimus smirked at her and tightened his grip. Holly opened her eyes and clenched her teeth together in an attempt not to scream out in pain.

"Can... can you blame me?" she managed to say.

He gave her a sly grin and laughed, "I suppose not. No traitor is safe around me." he looked rather proud of that last statement, which made Holly sick to her stomach. She already knew that too well.

"You... you are despicable." she couldn't help but tell him.

"Well you would know all about that, Holly." he smiled and she knew what he meant.

"You are right." the brunette answered. "Pretty much all witches are like you." At least she had picked up that much from her observations as a star.

"And yet you are nothing like me." he continued.

"I am different." she lied with a whimper from the pain he still was inflicting on her with his hand.

"How so?" the prince raised an eyebrow. Holly decided that she had said enough. so she looked away and kept her mouth shut.

After seeing that she was not going to answer him, Septimus realized that they had wasted too much time talking and turned to get everything ready for the trip. He did not let her back up on the horse as he had told. As planned she had to be walking behind his horse.

Holding back tears which treatened to appear Holly bit her tongue to distract herself. When the guard had tied her firmly to the horse they resumed their chase, which went much slower now due to the prince's stubbornes. He just had to win and she knew it. Letting her back up on the horse now would look bad for his pride. She hated him. Never before had she felt this way about anyone. He was the only one she wanted to kill! the brunette gasped, horrified by her own thoughts. This was not a way for a star to think. She shook away the thoughts and focused on the walking in stead. She didn't want to admit it, but she was glad he decided to travel slow. Nothing was stopping him from setting the horse into galop to make up for lost time.

After half an hour Holly was panting heavily. For someone who had not been moving for millions of years this was complete torture. Surprisingly the prince turned to look at how she was doing. Probably just to take pleasure in her pain she thought, so she held her head high and worked on breathing calmly with her nose. The two shared a quick glance at each other before he turned back. Holly let out a sigh of relief. He didn't seem to notice how tired she was.

3 hours had passed since she had been tied behind the horse. The brunette was beginning to feel dizzy. Her bones were aching and her bare feet were bleeding. It did not help that the sun was shining brightly above her. Oh God. She wanted to sleep so badly. Her tired eyelids were close to betraying her, but her suffering feet helped her staying awake. Her panting had worsen and the prince had by now noticed it. Even so he still ignored it. Holly cursed the day he was born. If he had never excisted in this world it would without a doubt have been a much better place. Her cursing went on for thirty more minutes untill her feet began to sway. Because of her hatred and stubbornes she was surprised at how long she was able to endure this, but now her body was betraying her. every limp was screaming in pain and begged her to rest. Holly could no longer ignore it. On top of it her mind was starting to play tricks on her because of her dehydration.

The prince had strangely turned into Yvaine who was now smiling so brighly at her, and the ground had turned into her beloved starry home. It didn't hurt any longer. Everything was fine now. She stopped and looked around, feeling the cool breeze on her face. She raised her hands and waved at her sisters who was all around her. Yvaine walked up to her side and grabbed her hand, "Let's go home." she said to the brunette. Holly was so happy she could not stop herself from letting the tears fall.

"Yes, let's go home," She managed to say between her sobs. Suddenly everything went dark.

She abruplty woke when someone tossed water in her face. Gasping she sat up and confused looked around. She was sitting by a small and calm river and the grass in her hands tickled her. She spotted the sun far away up in the sky and a wave of major dissapointment washed over her. She was not home after all. Unable to stop it she started crying unaware of who was in her presence.

"Hey! Get a hold of yourself, woman! Are you still hallusinating?" a furious voice suddenly shouted. Holly was getting so sick and tired of that voice. So angry and full of hatred all the time. She looked at the prince with a gloomy face and shook her head. "Good," he continued, "then we will be on our way again. Such a burden you are. Because of you we have lost precious time."

The brunette had to hold back an outburst of laughter. Because of HER? He was the one whose pride was so abnormaly huge he would go to extreme lengths to proove that he was right, no matter how wrong he was! She turned away from his gaze and noticed the guards standing only a few meters away from the two. Suddenly realizing what he had just said about starting the search again she looked at her feet in horror. To her surprise they had been cleaned and tied up with bandage.

Confused she looked at the prince who answered her unspoken question, "We could not let you die from an infection now could we? I still want that potion." he stiffly said.

The brunette sighed deeply. It was always about greed. She could not understand how one person could be so powerhugry and selfish.

The prince stood up and walked over to his horse who was over with the guards. Holly stood, but gave out a painful scream when she felt her feet on the hard ground, which ended in her falling over. Shaking with pain she looked at the prince in worry. He was probably waiting for her to go to them on her own. He kept his eyes on her as she struggled to rise once again. The agony was too much so she fell down again. This went on for a few more tries before the prince walked over to her. With heavy breathing Holly looked up on him with teary eyes that shone with anger.

For a moment he just looked at her in silence before he suddenly bent down and yanked her over his shoulder. Holly let out a horrified scream and clawed her nails into the back of his coat. "Wh- what are you... !"

before she could say more he had walked over to his horse with only a few big steps and tossed her over it. To her great frustration she had to bite the sour apple and accept this position like before. At least it was better than walking. Only the thought of it made her shiver in fright.

Holly hadn't said anything after he had tossed her over the horse and he didn't seem to mind it. They traveled in silence for quite some time before Holly decided that she couldn't come anywhere with him if she didn't communicate with him the best she could. Maybe she could get him to sway a little bit. Make him forget about the star and rather focus on the necklace instead. But she had to start slowly, she knew that. "Your Highness," she began.

Septimus for a second looked surprised after hearing her speak. Almost as if forgetting she was even there. But his gaze quickly turned back into those cold and distant eyes.

_Bloody liar!_ Holly thought to herself. What he had told her about her being in the way was just a big lie! He sure knew how to make other people feel like crap when they actually didn't have to.

"What?" he simply asked.

"Thank you for taking care of my feet." Those were the hardest words Holly had ever said in her entire life. He who had put her in that situation in the first place did not deserve those words. She wanted so badly to take them back, but she had to come on his good side no matter what. Her pride was a small price to sell right now.

Septimus understood very well what kind of game the girl was trying to play and slyly smiled for himself. He didn't mind to be a part of her obvious trick for a little while. "I'm glad you have come to your senses. You should be thankful I still let you live, witch."

"You are right. Not all would let a witch live like you have. No matter what wicked reasons you are keeping me alive for I am still grateful." the brunette was surprised to find that there was a tiny bit of truth in her last words. But it did not matter. Her words would surely not reach him the way she wanted them to anyway. Not this early anyway.

"Good. So maybe now you would like to tell me about this star and I will in return treat you better." Septimus sounded sincere, but she was not at all convinced she could trust him. And even if he was speaking the truth she would never tell him anything that would set Yvaine in danger. Now Holly held the strongest card. She knew what Yvaine looked like and Septimus didn't.

"I can't, because I know just as much as you do."

Surprisingly the dark prince seemed to accept her answer, "Very well. At least you are good for one thing. Making me that potion."

Holly felt horrible. He was treating her like an toy he would toss away once finished playing with. By now she accepted the fact that it could not be helped. This man clearly didn't know what it meant to trust someone else. By the looks of it he seemed like a man who had no one to depend on but himself his entire life. Thinking about it like that he made much more sense to her than before. Maybe that was the way to influence him. With trust.

Suddenly they left the forest and came out on an open field. One of the guards pointed at an object far from them and shouted, "Something is over there, mylord!"

Septimus spotted it and they closed in on it. When they were within range Holly gasped at what she saw. There was a dead man, with a slit troath laying in a bathtub. What was bizarre was that the mans blood was blue! What did that mean? An abandoned carriage was there too. Probably the dead mans Holly thought.

The prince went off his horse and walked over to the bathtub. "Well, well, well." he spoke like he knew this was going to happen. "The last brother dead."

Hollys eyes widened. His brother? Another prince? Why was Septimus not sad that his brother had been murdered?

In realization the dark prince raised his head, "which means that I am king." He started walking back to the group of soldiers while shouting victoriously, "I am king!" and all the men bowed before him.

"Oh my god." Holly thought to herself while she watched him coming towards them with a wicked grin on his face. Septimus, king? What on earth had the world come to, letting such a cruel beast rule Stormhold!

Suddenly the prince stopped in his tracks and looked rather troubled. "Damn, I still need the stone."

One of the guards stood up and asked questioningly, "Your brother doesn't have it?"

"Well why don't you find out." the prince said.

"No way." Holly said surprised. Were they going to search a naked man in a bathtub? For a simple stone? What was it about this stone that was so important anyway?

Septimus hearing what she said gave her rather dull look.

The guard who had been given the order to go look gave an uneasy sigh and walked towards the bathtub.

The second the guard had left a man who had been hiding from undernearth the abandon carriage grabbed Septimus' leg, making the prince jump rather awkward. Before Holly could stop herself she burst out laughing and quickly covered her mouth with her tied up hands. However it was too late. The prince had already heard her.

He leaned down and grabbed the ginger haired boy who had been hiding under the carriage and gave Holly a cold stare before he turned back to the boy and placed a knife under his chin, which made Holly gasp in horror.

"Please don't!" she frantically yelled at the prince in an attempt to stop him from yet another murder.

The prince turned to look at her and his eyes narrowed, "Do you by any chance know this boy?"

"N- no, I don't, but... "

Septimus quickly abrupted her, "so this has nothing to do with you, so stay out of it!" he snarled back at her and turned his attention back to the frightened boy.

"Where is my stone?" he demanded, making the boy shift uneasy.

Stunned and frightened the boy had to force himself to think. "The girl have it." he said in a sudden realization.

"What girl?" the prince said rather confused.

"I don't know, a girl." the boy looked very frustrated, "she got away because this was a trap set up for her, but the man in the bathtub came just straight into it."

"A trap?" now the prince looked even more confused. "set by who?"

The ginger haired boy gave him a terrified look, "A woman you should pray you will never meet."

By now Hollys face was white as a sheet. The girl they were talking about, could it by any chance be Yvaine? It would be a strange coincidence, but she didn't want to think it was entirely impossible.

"This woman wanted MY stone?" Septimus continued.

"No," the ginger haired boy shook his head slighly, "She wanted the girls heart. She said the girl is a star and she wanted to cut out her heart and..."

The prince shook the boy to make him stop talking, "... eat it." he finished and looked away, "oh my god."

Holly gave out a silent scream. It was Yvaine! This was not good. Not good at all! This boy was probably going to show the dark prince the way to her sister!

Septimus rose and ordered his men, "Time to hurry! A witch is ahead of us!" he yanked the ginger haired boy up on his feet, "This idiot is coming with us."


End file.
